Moments
by Mu-san
Summary: A collection of moments in Obiwan's life. Obiwan is going to be a Council member. But not without taking some trials... After the first trial, Obiwan finds his second...
1. An unusual lesson

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Star Wars. They are the rightful property of one George Lucas, who fortunately decided to share them with the world through his films. I'm merely borrowing them in the most respectful way to have some more fun. That is all.

Moments – series ; Obi-wan has become somewhat of a personal hero of mine. So I'd thought it would be fun to write some moments out of his life, to add to the existing character.

**An unusual lesson**

"Mmm, strange your request is, master Qui-gon."

"I realize that, master Yoda. However, my padawan still has his thoughts focused too much on the future, and doesn't seem to hear my warnings. This would teach him to be more attentive to his surroundings."

"Agree, I do. Though the future at times _you_ need to be careful of more."

Qui-gon recognized the slight admonishment and nodded. "Yes, master Yoda."

Yoda sat quietly on his cushion for a moment, his hands resting under his chin. Finally he spoke again.

"Very well, master Qui-gon. Grant you this request I will."

Qui-gon rose from his cushion and bowed low to the powerful jedi. Without a word he turned and left the serene chamber. Yoda sighed and shook his head slightly.

"Unorthodox, your ways are."

He watched the sun slowly setting behind the ever-busy skyline of Coruscant.

"But sometimes, to have a little fun, a jedi is allowed."

With a small smile he settled into meditation.

- ∞ -

"Now Obi-wan, it is important that you keep practicing that stance. Although you performed it correctly this time I nearly had you on the second turn."

"Yes, master," Obi-wan said, still picking at the slightly burned spot on his tunic. Qui-gon had grazed him by a fraction, but he had successfully finished the kata. Right now he felt glad, even a little proud. But he quickly squashed that. '_A jedi shall not be proud, and I'm in no mood for a lecture from Qui-gon._'

Suddenly Qui-gon halted in the middle of the hall. Obi-wan almost bumped into him.

"Master?"

Qui-gon turned and looked at Obi-wan.

"Padawan, tell me, what do wish to be after you take the trials?"

"What do you mean, master?" Obi-wan asked a bit confused by the sudden chance in conversation.

"What kind of jedi would you like to be Obi-wan? A true field agent, a healer, perhaps a strategist? What path do you think is yours?"

Obi-wan's eyes glazed over.

"I want to be an all-round jedi, master. One that had mastered all the ways of the jedi—"

Qui-gon took a very discrete and subtly look over Obi-wan's shoulder.

"—so that can help with almost anything. And maybe if I work long and hard enough the Council will grant me the title of Master, and then—"

Qui-gon shuffled his feet a little, and ended up a foot more away from Obi-wan. In his little speech Obi-wan never noticed.

"—the greatest honor would be to serve _on_ the council. But I guess that would be reaching, right?"

"There is nothing wrong with ambition, padawan. It is over-ambition you must avoid."

Obi-wan nodded. "I realize this, master. Why are you not on the council? I know they would let you if you would follow the rules more closely."

"Rules are there to be observed, not to be dictated by, Obi-wan. Remember that. Sometimes the Force compels us to act in different ways then we can foresee. Always—"

"Be mindful of the Living Force, yes master, I know."

A thin smile appeared on Qui-gon's face.

"Are you sure, Obi-wan?"

"Yes, master."

"Well, if you are certain…."

In the instant Qui-gon let his sentence trail away Obi-wan felt a sudden change in the Force. The skin on the back of his neck tingled, and without a moments hesitation he dropped to his knees in a crouching position. His padawan braid en ponytail moved with the sudden gust of air displacement, and he could Obi-wan could tell a flying object just missed his scalp.

Directly his hand shot towards his lightsabre, dangling from his utility belt. But instead of drawing it his hand relaxed and it remained in its position. Quickly scouting his eyes in the air directly above him Obi-wan saw a round object whizzing past, propelled by three hover units. Following it he could make out it was a small hover chair. Immediately it became clear who had just flown by at a familiar height though an unusual speed. If the size of the hover chair offered no clue the pointed green ears of the driver sticking out on the sides were a dead give away.

'_Master Yoda? Why in blazes would he speed by so quickly? And so close to my head?_'

"Are you alright, padawan?"

Slowly standing up from his crouched position on the floor Obi-wan noticed a slightly smug smile on Qui-gon's face.

"Yes, I'm fine," he responded.

Qui-gon's smile broadened and he placed a hand on Obi-wan's shoulder. "Good."

For a second Obi-wan tried to process the situation and events. Then he raised a suspicious eyebrow towards his master. Incredulity laced his voice.

"You asked master Yoda to fly by over my head to test whether I was paying attention to the Living Force?" Obi-wan uttered.

Qui-gon's smile did not diminish and he squeezed Obi-wan's shoulder. "You did good, Obi-wan." He let go and started walking to their quarters, their original destination.

Obi-wan simply stood there for a few seconds. Staring at his master's back. Then he lightly shook his head and continued walking. He caught up with Qui-gon and a small chuckle escaped his throat.

"I must say, master, I can imagine you would come up with something like this. But master Yoda?"

Obi-wan didn't miss the twinkle in Qui-gon's eyes.

"A jedi is allowed to have a little fun, from time to time. Remember that, Obi-wan, and you will become one of the greatest jedi's in the order."

Obi-wan grinned. "Yes, master."

- ∞ -


	2. Another unusual lesson

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Star Wars. They are the rightful property of one George Lucas, who fortunately decided to share them with the world through his films. I'm merely borrowing them in the most respectful way to have some more fun. That is all.

Moments – series; I'm not doing this serie in a chronological order. I have a few points in Obi-wan's life I'd like to do, but don't want to bother with writing everything in the correct oder. Just use your head, and you'll be fine.

Another unusual lesson

"Mmm, much like Qui-gon, you have become."

"I will take that as a compliment."

"Hmm"

For a while Yoda sat silently, deep in thought. With a small wave of his hand his walking came floating up from the floor. Grunting a little he crawled off his cushion.

"Sure are you, this will work?"

"Yes, master. As Qui-gon intended it at the time it is an excellent way to show him the effects of ignoring the Living Force. Or to be overconfident in it."

"Yes, a flaw more and more common among young jedi, I sensed."

Yoda walked to the cushion Obi-wan was sitting on. Stopping next to it he patted Obi-wan's knee. "Help you in your lesson, I will."

Obi-wan bowed his head in respect. "Thank you, master Yoda."

The diminutive jedi slowly walked out the door, leaving Obi-wan to meditate on his earlier comments. As the door quietly slid close behind his back Yoda sighed.

"Like master, like apprentice."

But he couldn't help but smile.

"Qui-gon was right. Much wiser Obi-wan is."

Then he set out towards his next class of younglings.

- ∞ -

"Oh come on, master. You're just jealous because I flawlessly performed the fifth stance."

"Dream on, my young padawan. Just because you made no real mistake doesn't mean it was perfect. And how many times have I told you, no additional moves during the kata. Especially flashy moves that serve no other purpose then to show off."

Anakin shook his head as Obi-wan was still picking at the slightly burned spot on his tunic. During their kata training he had added a small move of his own. Just a flick of the wrist, spinning the handle of his lightsabre round in his hand. The blade would arc and the handle would end up upside down in his grip. With a second flick of the wrist the handle turned again, and the blade ended up the same as before. Obi-wan had seen it before, and had scolded him for it. But he didn't manage to keep his sleeve out of the way this time, Anakin thought smugly.

"Yes, master."

Obi-wan sighed. "One of these days you will lose a saber duel. Then we'll see how handy those flashy moves of yours are."

"Not likely, master," Anakin grinned.

"You are not the best swordsman out there, Anakin."

"Whatever you say, _master_."

Obi-wan rolled his eyes at the sarcastic tone in Anakin's voice. Looking around him he stopped in his tracks.

"Anakin, before we go to the mess hall for our lunch, answer me this."

The apprentice stopped right next to his master and looked at him.

"When you complete your trials, what would you like to do as a jedi knight?"

Anakin's eyes unfocused as he remembered his dreams. "I want to the be a field agent, and visit all the planets in the galaxy. And I'll fly in one of those new model jets the Order has gotten recently. They are fast and manoeuvre very easily."

"Ah yes, _flying_."

Anakin grinned at his master's dislike for flying. "Although I have heard of some jets on Rothia—"

Obi-wan took a step forward and turned, so he was looking at his padawan, with two feet between them.

"—that are even faster. I'd like to take one of those and race every space race there is."

Obi-wan pulled up an eyebrow. "If you want to run every race there is, and might I add that is not acceptable behaviour for a jedi knight, you must be finely attuned to the Living Force. Are you sure you know enough of the Living Force to do so, Anakin?"

Anakin rolled his eyes and sighed. "Master, I used to fly in podraces remember? I know everything there is about the Living Force."

"So you cannot be surprised, is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, master, I can feel everything before it happens."

"Everything?"

"Yes, master."

"Are you sure?"

"Very…sure." Anakin trailed off, his hand reaching towards his lightsaber. A small smile crept up his face as he realized what was going to happen. Obi-wan had told him about the unusual ways Qui-gon had used to teach Obi-wan as a padawan, and now it seemed Obi-wan tried to do the same to him. Ha, not a smart move, old man, Anakin thought.

Instead of crouching Anakin simply took a step to backwards, just as the small vehicle flew by. He had sensed master Yoda's signature coming towards him from the left, and knew he was going to fly straight over his head. Anakin didn't grab his lightsaber from his belt, knowing it wasn't necessary. Knowing he had passed this test he thought of ways to show his master he needed to think of better ways to fool him.

Suddenly his head erupted in pain and Anakin couldn't help but fall to his knee. Quickly bringing up his hand to cover the top of his head he blinked a couple of times to clear his vision of stars and dull the pain. Slowly turning his head he could see the small hover chair of master Yoda fly down the hall. Pointed green ears and the broad tip of a small walking cane were visible sticking out of the side of the hover chair. Anakin looked back at his master and was greeted by a smug smile.

"I can't believe you did that, master," Anakin uttered indignantly.

Obi-wan laid a hand on Anakin's shoulder, just like Qui-gon had done with him so many years ago. "You did good, Anakin. Just remember this lesson." Squeezing his shoulder lightly Obi-wan turned and headed towards the mess hall.

Anakin quickly scrambled to his feet and walked to his master's side. He couldn't miss the twinkle in Obi-wan's eyes.

"That was an unfair trick, master."

"Maybe" Obi-wan's voice betrayed his amusement.

Anakin scowled. "I thought you always said a jedi wasn't supposed to have fun."

Obi-wan shook his head lightly. "No, my padawan. I said a jedi shouldn't have the kind of fun _you_ are always after. A little fun now and then is allowed. Ask master Yoda next time you see him, I'm sure he'll be glad to tell you."

Anakin decided not to dignify his lecture with a response. Obi-wan chuckled.

"Come on, young one. Let's grab something to eat. Then you can show me those flashy moves again in the training area."

Anakin's grumbling only added to Obi-wan's mirth.

- ∞ -


	3. Sharing a block

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Star Wars. They are the rightful property of one George Lucas, who fortunately decided to share them with the world through his films. I'm merely borrowing them in the most respectful way to have some more fun. That is all.  
AN; still have no intention of doing things chronologically. Use your head:)  
And thank you people for the reviews. It does present extra motivation for me to continue this, so keep 'em comin'!

Moments – series

Sharing a block

Qui-gon powered down his lightsaber and took a step back. Xanatos was on one knee on the floor, panting slightly. His lightsaber was lying five feet away from him, right where Qui-gon had intended it to land. Still breathing easily Qui-gon attached his lightsaber to his belt.

"You are not there yet, padawan. You twist you feet too far and leave you torso exposed on the lower right side too often. It creates the opportunity to disarm you, as I have demonstrated."

He could hear no objections from his apprentice, so he assumed he was silently pondering them or fuming about the fact he was just defeated, again, by his master. Qui-gon looked at his chronometer. Excellent, he thought.

"Xanatos, stay here and practise with one of the droids. Set it to attack you in the lower right quadrant, level 7."

Qui-gon could see a quick spark of indignation in Xanatos his eyes, but his padawan managed to swiftly suppress it.

"Yes, master."

He knew his apprentice could tackle level 7 quite easily, but repetition was key here, not pushing the boundaries. Without further comment Qui-gon turned and left the training area.

- ∞ -

Angrily Xanatos grabbed on of the training droids and set it to level 7, lower right quadrant. Slowly swinging his lightsaber to block the attacks he fumed at his master's response. Only just holding himself back from striking out and cutting the droid to pieces Xanatos made a silent promise.

'_One day I'll be the master. And then you, Qui-gon, won't dictate my life any further. How dare you suggest I'm incapable. I'm better than you!_'

With his final though he slashed off one of the arms of the practise droid. It lay sparking on the floor of the training area. He stared at it momentarily, before lifting his lightsaber again, ready to slice off the other arm.

- ∞ -

Quickly and silently Qui-gon walked down the southern corridors of the Temple. Normally this was the time he and Xanatos would meditate before midday meal, but his apprentice needed more and more guidance lately, which often resulted in extended periods of training. Qui-gon wondered for a moment why his apprentice seemed to be slipping a little lately, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Xanatos was progressing nicely, and the boy would do what he told him to, like the good padawan he was. The Force gave him a small tug, but he dismissed it. No good to dwell in the what-if's, he thought.

Walking down a particular corridor Qui-gon slowed his pace. Large windows allowed him to see into the rooms. Inside little children were playing, walking around or sound asleep in the cribs. He had walked to the jedi crèche, a place he found himself more and more these days.

It was no mystery Qui-gon was strong with the Living Force. Master Yoda had taught him well, and he was considered to be one of the best jedi in the order on the subject. One day he had been meditating in the temple gardens when a small group of jedi younglings had been allowed to play in the gardens for a while. Their carefree nature and bright Force signatures immensely helped in his meditation. He even didn't mind the noise they together seemed capable of making. Since that day he had been coming to the crèche more and more often.

Lightly tapping the pad next to the door Qui-gon entered a part of the crèche. Two days ago he had visited the nursery, learning about the new babies that had arrived at the temple. Today Qui-gon decided to go see the toddlers. It was remarkable to see such little children already reaching out with the Force. He tried to observe them, and learn from their instinctive use of the Force.

"Master Qui-gon, how nice to see you again."

One of the padawans assisting in the crèche, Haldiri, came up to him. Qui-gon made a short bow.

"Thank you, padawan Haldiri. I wondered if I could sit with the little ones for while."

Haldiri smiled. She knew of Qui-gon's recent 'hobby', and was glad to help him.

"Of course. Come, I have a group right here that is up and awake."

Qui-gon nodded and followed her into a room. Nine children were moving about, playing with various toys strewn about the room. With a quick thank you to Haldiri Qui-gon settled himself into one of the corners on a chair and watched as the younglings played. Some looked at him curiously, trying to figure out who the newcomer in their environment was. But after a minute they gave up and continued with their activities.

Slowly closing his eyes Qui-gon settled into meditation. The bright spikes in the Force around him made him feel alive, and the air quietly hummed with the energy of the Living Force. He was about to settle into a deeper phase of meditation when he felt a tug on his robe. He opened his eyes. A toddler with blue eyes was staring back at him. Qui-gon couldn't help but smile.

"Hello there, little one. Trying to steal my robe, are you?"

Whether it was the tone of his voice or the attention Qui-gon didn't know, but the toddler smiled at him and grabbed another fist of his robe. Maybe he actually _was_ trying to steal my robe, Qui-gon thought with a silent chuckle. Reaching down he pried open the little hands. Qui-gon felt his fingers tingle pleasantly with Force energy. It reminded him why he kept coming here. Releasing the toddler Qui-gon straightened back into his chair again. The child swayed a little when he was released, and defeated by gravity he fell on his behind. But instead of crying he kept looking at the interesting new thing to explore and play with. Qui-gon could feel his curiosity. Swiftly casting around he spotted a set of building blocks. Without much thought he summoned three blocks to him through the Force. The blocks fluently flew into his opened hands. Qui-gon set the blocks in front of his newly acquired audience. The little boy immediately grabbed one of the blocks and stuffed one of its corners in his mouth.

"Can't imagine that tastes very good," Qui-gon said in a low voice.

The boy took the block out of his mouth and laughed. His laughter sounded like music to Qui-gon's ears, and he found himself grinning along. Scrutinizing the boy a little Qui-gon noted nothing extraodinary about the boy. The Force was quietly flowing through him, almost peacefully. Although not very powerful, Qui-gon was somewhat impressed by the calm nature of the Force in the child.

"You're feeling good today, aren't you?"

The boy looked at him, still smiling. After stuffing the block in his mouth once more the boy made a grab for the second block and tried to stack the two on top of each other. Qui-gon used the lapse in attention to return to his meditation. For the next half hour he sat there in deep meditation, relaxing and releasing the worries and stress he had accumulated.

Slowly bringing himself back he opened his eyes again. And encountered a set ofblue eyes looking back at him. Surprise flowed through Qui-gon's mind.

"Hmm, still there, my young friend?"

The same toddler as before was still sitting in front of him. The blocks were lying on the floor, slightly more moist then they had been before. Qui-gon didn't know why the child had chosen to stay here, but was pleased he had. Undoubtedly his meditation had been better because of it.

"Well thank you, young one. Perhaps we'll see each other again."

Qui-gon slowly stood up. The boy's eyes followed him. The blue of his eyes nothing special, but the boy's curiosity charmed Qui-gon. He was about to step around the toddler and leave when the boy made a noise.

"Ahhgu!"

Qui-gon looked down and regarded the boy. Again he used the Force to examine the boy. But it revealed nothing special.

"I'm sorry. But I must go, I have duties to attend to."

"Aajiinaa?"

Qui-gon shook his head. "Another time perhaps, young one."

The little boy stopped smiling. A small frown appeared on his face and he looked down to the floor. Silently Qui-gon hoped he would not have a crying child on his hands, that was not something master Yoda had taught him to handle. But what happened next took him completely by surprise. The boy extended two little pudgy arms towards one of the blocks. Slowly but steadily the block rose from the floor. It hovered just for a moment before it ascended. Finally it reached its final destination and floated right in front of Qui-gon, at the level of his chin.

Stunned Qui-gon stared at the floating block. He knew the children were instictively using the Force, but levitating a block was something he had never seen before. And it was something he had thought none of them would be capable of at this tender age. Quickly he looked down at the boy. Suddenly Qui-gon held his breathe. The dull blue of the boy's eyes had been replaced by a startling blue grey, alive and dancing with the Force. Qui-gon could almost see the light the Force was infusing in his eyes. It completely changed the boy's appearance. Qui-gon had a sudden but very brief feeling this child was going to be a great Knight.

Still a bit stunned Qui-gon took hold of the block. Instantly the intense feeling of the Force left the boy, and his eyes returned to their previous, ordinary blue colored state. But the smile on the boy's face was priceless. It was almost as bright as his eyes had been just moments ago. Qui-gon's heart felt as ligt as a feather, and he grinned equally big.

"Thank you, my little friend."

The boy smiled at him for another moment. Then he turned and started crawling towards one of his fellow groupmembers, a twi'lek girl playing with two fluffy stuffed animals. Qui-gon watched him go, his wide grin fixed to his face. Turning on his heels he made his way to the door. Before exiting he took one last look over his shoulder. The boy and the twi'lek girl were playing with the stuffed animals, both smiling. Nodding contently Qui-gon left the room. He said goodbye to padawan Haldiri and left the crèche. On the way to his quarters Qui-gon couldn't help but smile at the events. His initial assesment of the boy had been obviously flawed. The Force was strong with him, stronger then Qui-gon had ever seen. Abruptly stopping in his tracks Qui-gon frowned and examined the block he was still holding in his hand. But quickly the frown was replaced by a content smile.

'_I will keep my eyes on you, little one._' He put the block away in his sleeve. '_I have a feeling you and I are not done with each other._'

- ∞ -


	4. Last but not least

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Star Wars. They are the rightful property of one George Lucas, who fortunately decided to share them with the world through his films. I'm merely borrowing them in the most respectful way to have some more fun. That is all.

Moments – series

Last but not least

Qui-gon silently watched as a long line of younglings was being placed in the middle of the training area. A few benches had been placed on one side of the area for the masters who would attend this ceremony. The time had come again for the masters without a padawan to choose a youngling to take under their wing. The Padawan ceremony.

Qui-gon had attended the ceremony twice before. He had been a knight for several years, considering himself far from ready to take an apprentice. Finally, after some urging from master Yoda, he had attended the Padawan ceremony and had taken one of the younglings as his charge. Bu'rek, a Twi'lek boy, quickly grew under his tutelage and without much trouble passed the trials. But they never really bonded. Qui-gon guessed it had to do with his new status as a master. Master Yoda told him all new masters had troubles growing in their new role, and with time he would be an excellent teacher. Bolstered by his praise Qui-gon had attended the Padawan ceremony again, and had taken Xanatos as his apprentice, the boy he had brought to the Temple himself a few years prior.

Internally Qui-gon sighed. Xanatos had been a promising padawan. He could still remember the day he had chosen him. Walking down the line of padawans Qui-gon had sensed a great deal of enthusiasm and power in Xanatos. With a quick glance over his shoulder to master Yoda Qui-gon had decided the boy showed potential. How wrong he had been. The boy became more and more unruly as he aged, and eventually betrayed him by siding with his biological father, who was bent on dominating their home planet of Telos. Qui-gon had been forced to kill Xanatos' father in the heat of battle. Xanatos, enraged by the death of his father, had attacked Qui-gon viciously. But Qui-gon proved to be the better jedi. After a gruelling fight Qui-gon managed to disarm his old apprentice. But he had not the heart to kill him and release his soul into the Force. Xanatos took advantage of his mercy and escaped.

After this Qui-gon had sworn never to take a padawan ever again. It was clear he was not suited to guide a youngling successfully, and he had yearly refused to attend the Padawan ceremony. This year however things had changed. Not that he had changed his mind about taken a padawan. But master Yoda had made him attend this year's Padawan ceremony. Qui-gon could still remember the diminutive master's words.

'_Attend the ceremony, you will, Qui-gon._'

Didn't leave him with much choice, now did it? He grimly laughed. Not even Yoda's unusual sentence construction had left him with room for a different interpretation. The master wanted him to attend, and that was final. And so here he was, sitting as far in the back as he could, looking at the line of youngling, all ready to begin their time as a padawan.

After the younglings had been arranged into a neat line the masters were allowed to peruse the line one by one. Some master had already chosen their 'favorite' beforehand, others would tour the entire line before selecting a padawan. Qui-gon saw the masters pick their new padawans and felt his heart grow a little cold. The memory of Xanatos was still fresh on his mind, and the pain still as deep. Qui-gon closed his eyes for a moment, trying to quell his feelings. He almost grunted out loud when he felt the chair next to him being taken. '_The Force must truly have it in for me…_'

"Master Qui-gon! Good to see you here, it is."

Suddenly Qui-gon could remember a time when Mace Windu had called Yoda a little green troll during their saberclasses. He and Qui-gon had laughed heartily about that, both being close to the powerful master.

"Hmm, I hope _that_ was the last time you did."

He knew he hadn't been shielding his mind, so Yoda's remark was no surprise. The partial disgruntled and amused tone of his voice however was.

"Admit it, you were a strict teacher to us."

"Ah, but rebellious padawan strict guidance need."

Qui-gon had to smile at that one. "True"

Yoda nodded and turned his head to watch the ceremony. Just a handful of masters were left to choose their new apprentice.

"How goes the ceremony? Chosen already, you have?"

Qui-gon briefly wondered if he could tell Yoda the Force had commanded him not to take a padawan this year, but deep down he knew the master wouldn't fall for it. Instead of answering Qui-gon remained silent.

"Fine padawans, they will be. Perhaps a closer look will help you make a choice, mmm?"

Qui-gon was about to answer when the master in charge of the ceremony spoke.

"Have all the masters present made their choice?"

A quick glance around the room told Qui-gon all the masters had chosen their padawan. Discretely he folded his hands in his lap and slightly turned his head to the wall.

"No, one master left, there is."

The moment Yoda's voice echoed through the training area Qui-gon closed his eyes in frustration. Darn that little green troll, he thought. A prod in his side brought him back to reality. Yoda was looking at him with a small knowing and somewhat smug smile on his face. Qui-gon sighed. He knew the master jedi would not let him leave the room without a padawan, and he knew Yoda knew that he knew.

'_A smug smile like that will cause more wrinkles, master troll,_' he mentally said to Yoda.

Ignoring the little green master's chuckle Qui-gon stood up and walked to the few younglings still left in the line. Quietly he surveyed each of them. Some were still quite young, and would be chosen as a padawan in the coming years. Some were older, but still young enough to stay at the Temple for a while longer. One boy however looked old enough for this to be his last ceremony. If he would not be chosen this time he would be send to the Agricultural Corps. Qui-gon could vividly remember his fear at that age to be rejected by the masters. He, like all the younglings before him, wanted to become a jedi, not some farmer!

But I can't let sympathy color my decision, Qui-gon thought. Starting at the beginning of the line he carefully scrutinized each youngling. But most of them seemed too young, or simply not mature yet to begin their padawan training. Without realizing it Qui-gon found himself face to face with the oldest boy in the line. He could clearly read the boy's fear of rejection in his eyes, and sympathy swelled in him again. Qui-gon reached out with the Force to judge the boy's character and abilities. The Force was calm in him, not noticeably powerful but strong enough. The boy's blue eyes were a bit dull, and mostly showed anxiety.

He was about to step away when the boy quietly raised his voice.

"Master?"

Qui-gon froze and looked at him. Without conscious thought Qui-gon raised himself to his imposing height and gave the boy a mild glare. Immediately he could see him flinch, but the boy kept looking straight at him. Mildly impressed Qui-gon gave in to the request.

"Yes?"

The boy rummaged through his sleeve a little. Then he pulled out an object and presented it to Qui-gon.

"Master Yoda asked me to give you this, sir."

Automatically Qui-gon extended his hand and accepted the object the boy was offering. Slowly turning it round in his hand Qui-gon found himself speechless. He just stood frozen to the ground, blinking occasionally to bring his surfacing memories into order. A few times he opened his mouth to speak, but his vocal chords seemed just as frozen as the rest of him. After a full two minutes he finally managed to shake his head and come out of his startled state. He held up the object in front of the boy's face.

"Where did you get this?" His voice sounded a bit hoarse, betraying his otherwise calm appearance.

"Master Yoda gave it to me. He told me to give it to you when you would come by the line. He said it you would know what it is, even though I cannot remember."

Qui-gon whipped his head around and gave his master an incredulous look. Yoda merely smiles, this time serenely and encouraging. Slowly Qui-gon turned back and faced the boy. Could he truly be the toddler that had charmed him so many years ago? Doubt gave way to determination as Qui-gon decided to test the boy. He placed the block on the palm of his opened hand, and held it in front of him.

"Levitate it."

The child looked a little unsure. Granted, the other masters hadn't asked their new padawans to immediately show their abilities in the Force, but Qui-gon had to make sure. The little boy with the blue-grey eyes was the only one he would take as an apprentice, and no other.

"A good padawan would obey his master at all times," Qui-gon softly scolded him, giving him the push he thought the boy needed.

A little hesitant the boy lifted his arm and pointed his fingers at the block. Qui-gon could feel small tendrils of the Force gathering around them, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Then the Force coiled itself around the block and lifted it up in the air. Steadily it hovered a few inched above his palm.

But this did not interest Qui-gon. He shifted his gaze to look the boy in the eyes. And for the second time his breathe was caught in his throat. Eddies of grey moved through the now sapphire blue, and small pinpricks of light shone in the irises like tiny stars. This time the Force gave Qui-gon a nudge he did not ignore. He felt the Living Force swirl around them, and the Unifying Force was whispering of greatness to him, of loyalty and love.

In an instant the Force quieted again, and the block settled down on his palm again. The boy looked at Qui-gon, expectant and more then a little anxious. Anxious to know if he did well, to know he passed the test Qui-gon had given him. Anxious to know if he had done what Qui-gon had wanted him to do, to see if he had pleased Qui-gon. This thought made Qui-gon's heart warm, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Come, padawan. We have work to do."

The expression of utter amazement, surprise, joy and relief was clearly visible on the boy's face, letting Qui-gon know he was eternally grateful. '_I am going to be a jedi!_' loudly echoed through Qui-gon's mind. Lifting his eyebrow Qui-gon looked hard at the boy. Was that his voice I heard, he thought. Narrowing his eyes Qui-gon decided to try something.

'_You must know the life of a jedi is a difficult one. Are you sure you are ready to face a life of hardship, injustice, intolerability and prejudices? To do what is right in a galaxy rich with evil and wrong?_' he mentally said, directly facing the boy.

With amazement he saw the boy straighten his back and square his shoulders. '_Yes, master,_' was clearly audible in his mind. Without conscious thought Qui-gon laid his hand on the boy's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.

"What is your name?"

"Obi-wan, master, Obi-wan Kenobi."

"Well, Obi-wan, it seems we'll be stuck with each other for quite some time."

Obi-wan smiled. "Yes, master."

Immensely relieved his sense of humour was not lost on his new padawan Qui-gon grinned. The master in charge of the ceremony brought it to an end, and started gathering the younglings who were not chosen. Qui-gon started walking to the exit, feeling his padawan fall into step behind him. Stopping next to the stop he had been sitting on he made a short bow to Yoda.

"Thank you, my master."

Yoda smiled, his ears lifting into the air a little. "A fine padawan you have, master Qui-gon."

Qui-gon nodded.

"Good it is you came today, or else you would have missed padawan Kenobi, mmm?"

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes Qui-gon settles for one last mental remark. '_Alright, smug little troll, you may have been right, for once._'

Yoda let out another warm chuckle. Qui-gon also chuckled, glad to have one of the rare opportunities to jest with the old master. Then he continued to the door. On his way to his quarters—no, _their_ quarters now—Qui-gon heard Obi-wan through their newly developed but already surprisingly strong padawan-master bond.

'_Master?_'

'_Yes, Obi-wan?_'

'_Why did you call master Yoda a little troll?_'

Internally and mentally Qui-gon snorted. Obi-wan question had been a mix of bewilderment, curiosity and amusement. _Very_ glad to see a sense of humor is present, he thought. Qui-gon stopped walking and allowed Obi-wan to catch up with him. Laying his arm around his shoulder Qui-gon decided this was the perfect time to begin his training.

"It's like this, padawan mine…"

- ∞ -


	5. A nest full of love

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Star Wars. They are the rightful property of one George Lucas, who fortunately decided to share them with the world through his films. I'm merely borrowing them in the most respectful way to have some more fun. That is all.  
AN; info on the creature starring in this fic can be found by a simple Google search. Pick the first one and voila! I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed. It's good to hear my inventions are amusing you all so much. And baby Obi-wan was cute, wasn't he! The Force guided my hand on that one, I'm sure of it!

**Moments – series**

A nest full of love

"Oh come on, master. It's not as if those droids could have caught us."

"It doesn't matter, Anakin. I told you to stay hidden and quiet, and you did neither."

"But they were about to jump you!"

"They were _not_ about to jump me. They were looking at the bush next to me because of the diversion I created. We could have gone undetected if you didn't jump up and started trashing droids."

"Whatever" Anakin mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing. Master."

Obi-wan frowned, but let his answer pass.

"And while we're on the subject, you failed to fend off the three droids with the electro poles properly. When we get back to Coruscant you'll practise the third kata more thoroughly."

"Aaah, but master, I cut down all the droids!"

"You cut down the ones I was not able to catch."

"I cut down the ones you didn't see coming up behind you."

"Yes, and because of that this is the second robe I will have to bring to the tailors to get the scorch marks out."

Anakin smiled. "It does add to your appearance, master."

"Now you listen to me, my cheeky pada—"

Obi-wan had taken a fast step forward to cut his padawan off. But instead of stopping Anakin in his tracks he found his foot breaking through a maze of vines. Vines that covered a hole in the ground, one Obi-wan was unable to keep himself from falling into. With a loud rustling Obi-wan fell through the layer of vines, into the hole beneath.

Although the jedi had been surprised, he was still a jedi master. A well-trained and quite skilful jedi master. Reaching into the Force Obi-wan anticipating the length of his fall. Twisting his body he transformed his fall into a series of back flips, and after only two seconds his feet connected to the ground. Moving into a crouch Obi-wan made a soft landing. Slowly he stood up, and took in his surroundings. The hole gave access to a large cave. The only light was coming from the hole above him. The vines filtered the sunlight, casting small patches of light around the spot he was standing in. Faint sounds to his right caused the jedi master to lay a hand on his lightsaber, still safely clipped to his belt.

"Master! Are you alright?"

Obi-wan could hear a touch of concerns in his apprentice's voice. He smiled at that.

"Yes, Anakin. I'm fine."

"Hold on, master. I'm coming down."

"Maybe it would be better if you found a way to get me up there again?"

A moment of silence.

"Oh. Yeah, right."

Obi-wan didn't resist the urge to roll his eyes, he was sure Anakin couldn't see him. "Good thinking, my padawan." He could hear faint rustling above him, most likely Anakin moving away from the hole.

Again he heard a faint sound from the right side of the cave. Unclipping his lightsaber Obi-wan cast a wave through the Force, almost scanning the area like a Terrian bat. Picking up dim signatures in the Force Obi-wan carefully edged forward, not moving away from the patch of light too far. When his eyes were more accustomed to the dark he could see the floor of the cave was littered with broken plants, snapped vines, small unearthed bushes and white twigs.

'_White twigs? When did you see white trees here, Obi-wan?_'

He bent down and picked up one of the twigs. Except the twig was hard, somewhat brittle and had the option to fit into a socket of living body. '_Great. The one time I fall into some dark hole and I end up in a place littered with bones._'

Moving back into the light Obi-wan looked up. "Anakin? Are you there?"

To his surprise he immediately got a response. Albeit not the one he was looking for.

"Gaahhaarraahhsaaa"

Instantly Obi-wan froze. He snapped his head back down and saw four large creatures entering the cave from a tunnel he had been unable to see. Five large, slight pinkish-orange, four-legged creatures, causing the ground to tremble slightly. Obi-wan internally sighed.

'_Gundarks…Splendid. Just the thing I need to end this perfect day._'

Immediately he cloaked himself with the Force, remembering from the data printout of this planet the creatures were quite dimwitted and had no Force sensitivity.

The Gundarks walked into the cave, their tongues slightly hanging out of their mouths. A Gundark was famous for it's tongue. Over 15 feet long the creature was able to wrap it around their prey, ensnaring it and suffocating it. A grown Gundark could easily catch a human and devour him.

Obi-wan discretely glanced upwards, estimating if he could make it with a Force jump. But as the Gundarks came trudging by he had to cancel that idea for the moment. Quickly ducking and rolling to the right Obi-wan avoided one of the creature's thick legs from squashing him. Instantly he rolled back to the left to avoid another foot from pounding on his head. The four Gundarks moved about the cave, settling down in the large piles of leaves, vines and bushes.

Reasonably sure they didn't see him and were completely unaware of him Obi-wan looked up at the hole again. '_Can't risk calling out to Anakin, they'll be up and about in seconds._' So he decided to mentally call Anakin. Something the boy didn't excel at, to his surprise and frustration.

'_Anakin?_'

Nothing.

'_Anakin?_'

Nothing. Obi-wan quietly sighed.

'_Master?_'

Finally. '_Anakin, have you found a way to get me out of here yet?_'

'W_ell, I found some strong looking vines. I'm lashing them together to make a rope._'

Mmm, I'm impressed, he's finally showing some logic and responsible behavior. '_Very good Anakin. But hurry up, I have some unexpected visitors down here._'

'_Visitors, master?_'

'_Apparently I fell into a nest belonging to four Gundarks. They're currently—_'

'_Gundarks! I'm coming, master!_'

'_Anakin! Wait!_'

But he could feel his apprentice was too occupied to hear him. Suddenly Obi-wan had a feeling this was going to be a real disaster. Unconsciously he took a step away from the hole. And his instinctive action saved him from a great deal of pain when Anakin came crashing down the hole. Anakin did the same back flips Obi-wan had done and landed neatly on his feet. Well, at least he managed to do that right, Obi-wan thought grimly.

"Anakin! What in blazes are you thinking!"

"I'm here to save you, master!"

Anakin unclipped his lightsaber and ignited it. Obi-wan could actually see the moment the creatures had figured out there were intruders in their cave. He thought it was around the same time Anakin had ignited his lightsaber and was brandishing it in front of him, calling out to the Gundarks to leave them alone. Quickly diving forward Obi-wan tackled Anakin, bringing him to the ground. A large, slimy red tongue swiped at the air above them. Rolling off Anakin Obi-wan swiftly got to his feet. And found himself looking directly at the flat hammer-like head of another Gundark.

Swiftly calling on the Force Obi-wan made a jump over the creature's head, landing next to it's left back leg. Avoiding the tail that was sweeping back and forth he ran to the side of the cave, behind one of the large heaps of vegetation. Peering out behind he could see Anakin was dodging three attempts made by the Gundarks to wrap their tongues around his body.

"Anakin! Here!"

After a quick roll Anakin managed to look up and see his master standing behind one of the piles. Pushing himself off the ground hard Anakin scrambled to the spot Obi-wan had tackled him to retrieve his fallen lightsaber. Grabbing it he quickly dashed to Obi-wan, another tongue shooting out nearly hitting his right shoulder. In an almost elegant leap Anakin landed next to the jedi master, landing in one of the unearthed bushes.

Obi-wan grabbed him by the shoulder. Pulling him forward he managed to get Anakin right next to him. Throwing his arm around his shoulder and partly over his chest Obi-wan promptly fabricate a Force cloak around them. After a few seconds Anakin caught on and added his own strength to the cloak. Two of the Gundarks came around the sides of the heap, their tongues hanging out of their mouths swinging around. Obi-wan lazily wondered if they could actually smell with their tongues. After making a few sweeps with their heads and tongues the Gundarks backed off. Only moments later Obi-wan felt the pile move a little, and he knew the two beasts had crawled onto their 'beds'.

Slowly he released Anakin, checking if their cloak was holding up. It was, and they carefully moved around the green heap to the spot straight under the hole. Anakin looked at him.

'_What now, master?_'

Glad to see he remembered to mentally address him mentally Obi-wan replied.

'_Well, my apprentice. It seems we have little choice but to resort to jumping out._'

'_Jump! But master, that's at least thirty feet high!_'

Obi-wan grinned. '_And here I thought you were the chosen one…_'

He saw Anakin's eyes flash with indignation for a split second before it vanished. Then with a wicked grin Anakin folded his two hands together and held them in front of his stomach.

'_Need a boost, master?_'

Although he could see the humor in his statement he could only shake his head, in a very parental way.

'_Just go, Anakin._'

'_Yes, master._'

Obi-wan watched and held the cloak in place as Anakin gathered the Force around him and leapt to the surface. He rose off the ground high enough to grab one of the vines around the hole. Anakin swiftly pulled himself up. Leaning back over the hole he extended his arm, offering Obi-wan his help.

'_Come on_'

Obi-wan was grateful his student would offer him help, but the jedi master wanted to show him what it meant to truly be in control of the Force and your feelings. He closed his eyes for a moment, banishing all thoughts from his mind and tension from his limbs. Then he calmly gathered the Force around him, feeling it flow into him like meltwater from a glacier, cool and invigorating. Without opening his eyes Obi-wan leapt off the ground, through the vines and unto the surface next to the hole. Exhaling he released the hold he had on the Force, letting it flow back into his surroundings, grateful for its assistance.

Obi-wan turned on his heels. Anakin was still crouched over the hole, his arm limply hanging over it. Obi-wan was sure the selfcontrol Anakin had left prevented him from staring at his master with his mouth hanging open.

"Let's go, Anakin. We'll be late for our meeting with the council this way."

Without waiting for the young man's response Obi-wan started walking in their original direction. The soft sound of footsteps behind him told him Anakin had quickly pulled himself together. Soon after his apprentice appeared next to his side.

"We will be late if you insist on making these detours, master."

Obi-wan held his calm outer appearance. "This was not my intention, padawan. Two seconds later and we both would have fallen in."

Anakin smirked. "But I didn't. You did, and I had to rescue you."

Now Obi-wan did halt. "_You_ had to rescue _me_? Don't delude yourself, Anakin. If you hadn't jumped in we could have left that place without any trouble."

"Without trouble? We were attacked by four Gundarks!"

"Who only did so because we were standing right in the middle of their nest. They had young ones to protect."

Anakin frowned. "Young ones?"

With a sigh Obi-wan explained. "When you landed in the cave, did you take in your surroundings?"

Anakin nodded.

"What did you see?"

"A lot of green, bushes and vines, piled together into two heaps. And I saw a lot of bones lying around."

"Hmm, and on top of the heaps?"

Anakin's frown deepened. "More leaves?"

This time Obi-wan did resist the urge to roll his eyes, it would do Anakin no good to hear a lecture and receive a goodnatured insult. "Those heaps you saw were nests, Anakin. And in those nests there were a few soft green eggs, bearing their young." He slightly shook his head. "Next time don't go waving around your lightsaber without thinking first, not all situations need the use of your lightsaber."

Anakin hung his head a little. Good, Obi-wan thought.

"Yes, master."

"Good. Now come on, let's get back to our transports."

They started walking again, and for a while the two were silent. When their ships came into view Anakin broke the silence.

"So we fell into a love-nest?"

Surprised at Anakin's words Obi-wan chuckled. "Yes, you could say that."

"Gross," Anakin mumbled.

- ∞ -


	6. There is no try

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Star Wars. They are the rightful property of one George Lucas, who fortunately decided to share them with the world through his films. I'm merely borrowing them in the most respectful way to have some more fun. That is all.  
AN; It warms my heart a lot of people are reading this, and enjoying it! I have great times writing these. I think there are a lot of moments in Obi-wan's life that are great material, and loads of them have not been in the movies!

Moments – series; not everything has been good in Obi-wan's life. This is just one...

There is no try

Do, or do not, there is no try. How many times have I, all the jedi in the Order, all the years that have passed, heard that saying? Master Yoda was now reaching 900 years. Obi-wan imagined him as a young jedi, already teaching the world his favourite saying. A surprise the world hasn't gone completely crazy, he thought. Or maybe it has. Inwardly he sighed.

But then again the small but powerful master was right. For a jedi there was only do or do not, no try. Only black or white, no gray. It sounded harsh and demanding, but the jedi life was. Raised from a very young age he was accustomed to it, but it was still a hard life. Everyone unfamiliar with the ways of the jedi would see the powers at their disposal and envy them. Who wouldn't want to be able to levitate things, know certain events before they unfold, be faster and stronger then everybody else? He knew a lot of people would jump at the chance to have such power, and used it to their own advantage.

And therein lies the contradiction, the point of conflict. The Force can give the user great power, enabling him to do things beyond the scope of a normal person. But if it is used for selfish reasons, for personal glory and gain, the user will be consumed by his greed and hatred. Greed, fear and hate lead to suffering, to the Dark side of the Force.

Obi-wan had always firmly believed in the Light side of the Force. He had devoted his life to it and the Jedi Order, giving up his life to fight injustice and evil in a galaxy filled with it. To him the distinction between the Light side of the Force and the Dark side had always been clear. He had always been taught in the ways of Light, and the Dark side was a distant threat, one easily held at bay.

But in the last years the Dark side had risen, and taken away everything he held dear. It had destroyed the Jedi order, killed nearly all of the jedi. The Light side had been reduced to a pinprick of light, shining like a single star in the vastness of space, fighting against the dark. In these last years he had learned and felt so much about the Dark side he feared the Light would never be strong enough to conquer it.

Recent events had also changed his perception about the Dark side, and the Force. He no longer saw it as two sides to the same coin, Light and Dark. He now knew the Force was a neutral power without sides. It governed the fate of all living things in the way it had been for thousands of years. Whether fate was good or evil depended on your own point of view, not the Force itself. It all came down to the person using it. The Force would provide the power, but the person was the one corrupting it. The user of the Force would utilize it to do things to help others, or to damn them. The Darkside resided in the person, not in the Force.

He looked down at the burning body of his former apprentice. Anakin had been brought to the Jedi Order to be a jedi. But it had been difficult. Even he had his misgivings when he had first seen the boy. But honoring a dying man's wish he had taken it upon himself to train the gifted boy. He had taught him about the ways of the jedi, the Light and the Dark. He had taught him as well as he could have.

But it hadn't been enough. Anakin had grown as powerful as they had all feared and had crossed over to the Dark side. No, he corrected himself, Anakin had changed and was now using his powers to perpetuate evil. He had chosen the Dark over the Light, and was as far from him as he could possibly be.

Do, or do not, there is no try. How many times had Anakin said to him he would try? Try to improve his skills in the lightsaber, try to have better emotional control, try to listen better to his teachings? With Anakin it had always been try, not do. The boy would attempt something, and if it didn't go as he wanted it to he would cast it aside, like a petulant child. And if he did manage to do it he would burst with pride over his own accomplishments.

Ignoring the tears in his eyes Obi-wan walked away from his dying friend. Anakin had always scoffed Yoda's saying, softly exclaiming the old master was growing senile. But to Obi-wan the words had never rang more true. There is no try. Anakin had forever tried, and failed. And now at the end of their duel Obi-wan held strong to the saying.

His emotional side begged him to save Anakin, to save the good he had always seen in him, to give him another try. But the jedi in him, the master and the person he was knew it was to no avail. Anakin was forever lost. He had tried and failed. Obi-wan might have failed Anakin in his training, but he would not fail his old padawan now. He walked away from Anakin. He did it with much grief but without hesitation. He did it. Do, or do not, there is no try.

- ∞ -


	7. Birthday party

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Star Wars. They are the rightful property of one George Lucas, who fortunately decided to share them with the world through his films. I'm merely borrowing them in the most respectful way to have some more fun. That is all.  
AN; Well, it seems my little series here is enjoyed by quite a lot of people! Good, it makes me happy so many people are entertained by my scribblings. And I hope you enjoy chapter seven. You all seemed to like Obi-wan as a youngster, so here you go! Oh and Sweet Christabel (The author of Fair Maiden, Shining Knight, a fic that deserves all your attention, I DO think Jedi's are allowed to have their birthdays.) Let me know what you think! OH! And tne points for the ones who can understand exactly what Obi-wan says to Qui-gon while somewhat ehh...speech impaired! Enjoy, and review please! Mu-san

**Moments – series**

Birthday party

Qui-gon was quietly reading a book from the jedi library on the couch in the apartment he shared with Obi-wan. He had cleaned the place from top to bottom this morning, and felt he earned a bit of relaxation.

He and Obi-wan had gotten a lot of training done in the past weeks and he was proud of him. It was still hard to express his feelings to the boy, but they were certainly comfortable around each other. When Qui-gon had been meditating in the gardens two days ago, naturally at the time the crèche leaders allowed a few of their groups to play outside, he had discovered Obi-wan's birthday was near. Well, no so much discovered as being reminded of it. Master Haldiri had addressed him the moment she saw him, and asked about little Obi-wan. He had chuckled and responded that little Obi-wan wasn't all that little anymore, but he was doing quite well. Then she had asked him if he intended to do something for his birthday. For a second Qui-gon had been dumbfounded. To be honest he hadn't even thought of his padawan's birthday. They hadn't ever had a birthday together before, seeing it was their first year, and Qui-gon didn't even know the exact date. He had softly confessed to master Haldiri. She had merely smiled benignly at him and told him the date.

Sitting on his couch Qui-gon thought of the birthday he had planned for his padawan tomorrow. He had told Obi-wan of it the moment he had come back from his meditation in the gardens that day, and Obi-wan had responded ecstatically. Qui-gon insisted that he should invite his friends, and they would have a little party at their apartment. Obi-wan had rushed off to invite his friends, leaving it up to Qui-gon to arrange a cake, some decorations and some drinks. He had gotten everything, including a little birthday present for his new apprentice. Qui-gon actually felt a little apprehensive, wondering if Obi-wan would like his gift.

He heard the door open and close behind him. But when he turned his head he only saw a glimpse of a white tunic and a swinging braid as they disappeared into their room. With a small frown he set down his book and stood up. Careful not to make a sound he slowly walked to Obi-wan's room. He cast a wave out through the Force to see if is padawan was alright. There seemed to be nothing physically wrong with him, but his mind was emitting loud signs of 'do not approach'. Qui-gon hesitated for a moment, debating whether he should go in and ask his padawan about whatever was bothering him or leave him alone. Then he remembered Obi-wan had some difficult classes today. With a soft smile he could remember his own frustration with a few subjects and he decided to leave his padawan alone. He turned and headed to the kitchen to make them a nice meal. That should definitely improve his mood, he thought. The kid is always hungry…

A little excited Qui-gon waited for his padawan to come back from his morning classes. He had arranged for them to have the afternoon off, so they could properly celebrate his birthday. Already brightly colored streamers adored their normally stoic apartment. Qui-gon had dug deep into himself and made a birthday cake. He was quite pleased how it had turned out. He could still remember that time he and Mace had been left alone by their masters and they had to make dinner for themselves. A shudder ran through him from top to bottom. He would never let Mace cook again, no matter how good his cooking skills had become over the years…

The door opened and Qui-gon spread his arms wide open. Fleetingly he had thought of buying one of those little party horns to welcome Obi-wan in, but had decided against it. He wanted to surprise Obi-wan, not embarrass him.

"Happy birthday, my padawan!"

He was met with a glum looking Obi-wan.

"Thank you, master."

Even his voice sounded down. Slowly Qui-gon let his arms drop and a frown appeared on his brow. Obi-wan dropped his books on the couch and sat down at the table, seemingly oblivious to the decorations on his chair. Qui-gon observed him with a careful eye. When he realized the door hadn't closed he turned his head. A twi'lek girl was standing on the threshold. His smile returned a little.

"Hello, Bant. Come in, come in. We have a birthday to celebrate."

Bant managed to give him a small smile, but looked a little depressed as well. She sat down next to Obi-wan, whose stare was boring a hole into the table. When the door closed Qui-gon's frown deepened. He had told Obi-wan to bring his friends along right after classes. He knew his padawan wouldn't take this duty lightly and gather all his friends before they came here. A sneaking suspicion entered his mind. Qui-gon walked around the couch and joined the two at the table.

"Obi-wan?"

His padawan refused to look up. Bant was giving him an uneasy look, telling him this wasn't the right time for it. But as his master Qui-gon knew there was no better time then the present.

"Obi-wan, where are the rest of your guests?"

Suddenly Obi-wan jumped up and ran to his room. With a sigh Qui-gon saw him go. The suspicion turned into a fact. He turned to face Bant.

"Tell me, young one."

Bant lowered her head a little. "No one wanted to come to Obi's party. Just me, Garen en Reeft. But they both left with their masters yesterday on a mission."

The girl's sadness was palpable to Qui-gon, and his heart went out to Obi-wan. He had know the boy was a little shy but was surprised none of the other padawans had seen past that to discover this wonderful, joyful and charming young man. No wonder Obi-wan had stormed off to his room just now, Qui-gon thought. He probably feels unwanted. Perhaps this birthday party was a bad idea…

'_No_' Qui-gon softly slammed his fist on the table, startling Bant a little. Obi-wan would have a wonderful birthday, the wonderful birthday he deserves, Qui-gon firmly decided.

"Bant?"

She looked up at him.

"Gather the decorations from Obi-wan's chair. We will have this party somewhere else."

A little wide-eyed she needed a moment to process his words, but then moved to get the decorations off the chair. Qui-gon headed to his apprentice's door. Again Obi-wan's mind was emitting loud warnings but he wasn't going to let them stop him. Determined Qui-gon opened the door and stepped into the room. Obi-wan was lying face down on his bed with his arms limply beside him. He had simply let himself drop, Qui-gon figured. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to his padawan. When no reaction came he placed his hand on Obi-wan's back. This time a long moan was audible.

"Come now, Obi-wan, this is no way to spend your birthday."

"Lkiwomakanydifrence"

Obi-wan was still lying with his face into the comforter, muffling his speech. But through their strong bond Qui-gon got the gist of it.

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but lying in bed or celebrating your birthday with cake seems a big difference."

"Buthrisnoonecomintmparty"

"What do you mean? Bant is here, and I am here."

""

Qui-gon smiled at his response. "Bant is your best friend, and I'm glad she came. And you're right, it is my duty to come to your birthday party. You are my padawan after all."

He moved his hand from Obi-wan's back to his shoulder and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

"But regardless of motivation, we _are_ here. And I would like us to have a nice birthday."

Qui-gon could sense Obi-wan was coming around, but was still feeling a little unsure. Alright, padawan mine, I didn't want to use this card but if it will get you moving I will, he thought.

"We are here for you and your birthday, Obi-wan. Do you want to cancel everything and leave us with nothing?"

If there was one thing Qui-gon had learned it was that responsibility was a gravely important concept to young Obi-wan. He took things a little too seriously sometimes and ended up with feelings of guilt quite often. Qui-gon hated to play this angle but he knew he needed to get Obi-wan to come with them, or he feared for all the coming birthdays. And as usual his padawan didn't let him down. Obi-wan rolled over and scooted himself to the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry, master."

He was looking at the floor and his voice was hushed. Qui-gon wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

"I just want you to have a good time, Obi-wan. And it doesn't matter how many people come to your party. There are more then enough people who care for you, no matter what. Like Bant. She knew there would be nobody else from your classes here, but she still came. Because she is your friend. Don't focus on what you don't have, my young padawan. Cherish the things you _do_ have."

Obi-wan nodded weakly.

"Good. Now come."

Qui-gon stood up. He knew Obi-wan would follow him now. Bant was waiting by the door with the decorations in her hands. Qui-gon grabbed his cloak and tossed Obi-wan his. He caught it and a little confused he put it on.

"Master?"

Qui-gon gave him one of his best smiles. "We're going out, padawan. I have something special in mind for us."

"A diner, master? That's your special thing?"

Qui-gon chuckled at his apprentice's slightly hurt tone of voice. To be honest he could admit going to a diner in the busy part of Coruscant didn't sound like a very special thing, but Obi-wan didn't know the whole truth. He was surprised the boy hadn't figured out the name of the place, displayed in a glowing red neon sign in one of the windows.

"Yes, now go in. I promise you'll understand in just a moment."

Muttering something under his breath to Bant Qui-gon couldn't really make out they entered the diner. Immediately a droid waitress approached them. Part of her outer casing was painted a bright red to act like a uniform. It seemed to have been recently done.

"Hello there! What can I get you folks?"

Qui-gon stepped up behind Obi-wan and Bant and put his hands on their shoulders.

"We would like celebrate this young man's birthday here, perhaps the owner could help us with that?"

Without hesitating the droid waitress turned around. "Honey! Someone here to see you! A jedi by the looks of him!"

From an opening in the back wall leading to the kitchen a monstrous head appeared, looking around to spot the customers who were looking for him. A look of caution and suspicion lingered in his eyes, until he saw Qui-gon. Instantly a smile formed in his face.

"Well, well, master Jinn! Have a seat, I'll be right with ya."

Qui-gon nodded and steered Obi-wan and Bant to one of the empty tables. He could literally feel his padawan's shock and surprise. Wisely he chose to slide into the booth first, leaving Obi-wan to sit anxiously on the tip of the bench. The moment the big man from the kitchen appeared in view Obi-wan took off. He ran as fast as he could past the tables and flung himself into the cook. For a split second the creature had no idea what was happening, but when he recognized the boy attached to his rather large waist he threw up all four his arms.

"Obi-wan!"

He lowered one set of hands and picked up Obi-wan to hold him up to eye height. The smile on his face grew impossibly wide and his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"My good friend Obi-wan!"

Obi-wan wrapped his arms around the creature's neck. "Dex!"

Sharing a mighty hug Dex carried Obi-wan to their table. Qui-gon had already scooted over to make room for the large man. The old gunrunner looked no different then he had four months ago when they had met him in a bar on Ord Sigatt. Qui-gon had been sent on a mission to apprehend an illegal slave trader, and due to some unforeseen circumstances he had to take Obi-wan with him. They had only been together a few months, but Qui-gon trusted his new padawan would not work himself into any trouble. How wrong he had been. Obi-wan had wondered into the bar Dexter Jettster had been working, and had almost been killed by a few anxious trigger-happy smugglers thinking the boy was there to arrest them. Qui-gon sighed with the memory. The jedi were forever subject to such reactions, he sadly thought, always met with fear and suspicion.

The smugglers might have been successful if Dex hadn't stepped in. Although Obi-wan had a lightsaber he wasn't skilled enough to defend himself from five heavily armed smugglers. Dex had simply shoved the boy behind his back and told the men to leave the bar. Nothing more then a few grunts were raised as objections and the smugglers had left. When Qui-gon had returned with the slave trader delivered to the local authorities he had been shocked to not find Obi-wan where he had left him. After a somewhat frantic search he found him sipping a blue milk with Dex, swapping stories about their lives. Amazed Qui-gon had watched them for a moment before making himself known.

That had been four months ago. He and Obi-wan had returned to Coruscant, after literally prying Obi-wan off Dex. He could now understand better why Obi-wan had been unwilling to leave. He had few friends, and those he had he didn't want to leave. And that is why Qui-gon had been pleasantly surprised when he heard Dex had quit his gun running days and started a little diner right here on Coruscant. He had planned to take Obi-wan here sooner, but both their busy schedules had prevented them from doing so. Silently Qui-gon wondered if it was the will of the Force they now visited the diner, on Obi-wan's birthday of all days. When he saw Obi-wan deeply immersed in a story about his saberclasses with Dex and Bant as his rapt audience he smiled widely. Yes, this has certainly been the will of the Force.

After seeing Bant off to her master Qui-gon and Obi-wan both flopped down on their couch, not bothering to take off their cloaks. All afternoon and evening they had spent in the diner with Dex. Qui-gon was still amazed his padawan had eaten three desserts. They truly had a great time. Bant and Obi-wan had endlessly talked with Dex. Qui-gon had heard tales of boring history classes intermingle with barroom brawls and gun running operations. He had chosen not to comment, simply enjoying the fact his apprentice was having the time of his life.

"Master?"

Obi-wan's voice brought Qui-gon back to the present.

"Mmm?" He was too tired to give a full reply.

"Thank you for the best birthday ever."

Qui-gon only turned his head, not wanting to move his body. "But we're not done yet, my padawan."

Obi-wan's eyes held a confusion and curiosity that charmed Qui-gon to no end, just like the first time they had met all those years ago. It made him smile.

"Just reach into my pocket, young one. Second on the right."

Obi-wan scooted over and searched his master's belt. Finally he found what he had been instructed to find. When he sat back on the couch he was holding two small bags made of simple cloth. Qui-gon pulled himself up a little to sit properly and pointed at one of the bags.

"Open that one first."

He could see the glitter in Obi-wan's eyes. The boy was overwhelmed by the fact his new master had bought him presents, Qui-gon was sure of it.

"It's alright, Obi-wan. You've earned them."

Qui-gon's words and smile seemed to convince him and he opened the first bag. It revealed a sturdy looking timepiece, one that would automatically adjust itself to every time zone and was waterproof. Obi-wan smiled widely and immediately attached it to his own belt.

"Thank you, master!"

"You're welcome little one. Now open the other one."

Obi-wan eagerly opened the other bag. A small blue crystal dropped into the palm of his hand. Curiously he looked at it in silence for a moment, before he looked up at Qui-gon.

"What is it, master?"

Qui-gon searched Obi-wan's face for a moment before explaining.

"This…is a saber crystal. I know that when you built your lightsaber you used a green crystal. But…"

"But what, master?" Obi-wan whispered.

He took a deep breath and continued. "Well I think that green is not your color. I think this blue crystal will be much better suited for you. It reminded me of your blue eyes the very first time we met, years ago in the crèche."

When Obi-wan said nothing but silently stared at the crystal in his hand Qui-gon began to feel a little uneasy. He had already been worried if he would like this gift, and obviously he didn't.

"If you don't like it I'll find something else for you, it's—"

Qui-gon's rapid words were cut off by a padawan jumping on him, attaching himself firmly around him and burying his face in his robes. He was completely taken by surprise, but he quickly recovered and put his own arms around his apprentice. Through the Force Qui-gon felt Obi-wan sending out waves of affection and gratitude. It warmed his heart and he held him a little tighter.

""

Again Obi-wan's voice was muffled, but Qui-gon had never heard him so clearly.

"You're welcome, padawan mine."


	8. First trial

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Star Wars. They are the rightful property of one George Lucas, who fortunately decided to share them with the world through his films. I'm merely borrowing them in the most respectful way to have some more fun. That is all.  
AN; Dear readers! Glad to see you're still with me. Things take time, but it can sometimes take too long. And believe me, I'd love to write more, but I just have little time for it. But whatever time I do find, I try to use, and it has resulted in another Moments chapter! This one centers on Obi-wan's promotion to Council member. Did anyone ever wonder how that came to be? Well I have, and I think it would have taken some trials at least. So, I made some up. Here's the first. Enjoy.

**Moments – series**

First trial

It was slightly out of character for him to hum, but he was humming none the less today. Why? He couldn't honestly say. There were both very positive and negative things going on at the moment, so it wasn't all peace and joy. But he focused more and more on the positive side of things lately, something he wasn't known for in his days as a padawan. Things change, he thought. People change. If only for a little.

Obi-wan was just reaching for his cup of tea without taking his eyes off the novel he was reading, when the door chimed. He stopped his humming, set down his book, and stood up. On the way he collected his cloak and lightsaber, knowing he would need them. With a gentle push of his thumb the door opened and the sight of Master Yoda greeted him. He made a short respectful bow.

"Master Yoda. A pleasure to see you, it is."

This brought a smile to Yoda's face. "Good morning Obi-wan. Practising your impression, you have?"

Obi-wan smiled in return. "Imitate you, nobody can."

Yoda lifted and pointed his walking cane at him. "Too right you are." With a soft tick the cane set down on the floor again. "But for imitations, I have not come."

"I thought not. Can I invite you for tea?"

"Mm, next time we will. Now, a different appointment we have."

Quite used to Yoda's lack of information, Obi-wan knew just to go with the flow. "Very well, master."

Yoda nodded, turned and hobbled down the hallway. Obi-wan smiled slightly at the sight, before stepping out, closing the door behind him, and walking up to the elder jedi's side. In silence they walked to the east wing of the temple, the learning center. Yoda waved open one of the classrooms and entered. With some surprise and confusion Obi-wan stepped in behind him and closed the door. The Master jedi stood facing the room, resting on his cane.

"Good morning class."

"Good morning, Master Yoda," the room echoed.

Obi-wan took in the room. Like all the classrooms it was equipped with all the items needed to teach and accommodate students. In the middle of the room 24 children of 4, 5 years old stood, small training sabers in their hands and practise helmets perched on their heads.

"Class, say good morning to Master Kenobi."

"Good morning, Master Kenobi," the room resounded.

Obi-wan smiled a genuine smile and bowed an inch or so. "Good morning, children." Like Qui-gon he shared an affinity for the young. It was the innocence and open honesty that he found very refreshing, especially after having sat through some lengthy political or diplomatic talks. He never did go meditate in the nurseries or playrooms like his old master, but he enjoyed helping out where he could with the younglings. Unfortunately, Anakin had the habit of tying up all his time, and lately he hadn't been able to do anything with the young padawans. So the sight of a room full of them was a pleasant surprise, but still somewhat confusing to him. He would normally help out with saber practise or physical training, but never with the youngest ones, that was Yoda's chosen area. So why was he here?

Yoda shook him out of his reverie. "Master Kenobi today is here, children, teach you about using the Force, he will."

He could feel his eyebrows lift slightly. '_I will?_'

The green skinned jedi turned and look at him. "Here to tell you about actively using the Force, he will."

His eyebrows settled again. '_Guess I will._'

Yoda hobbled to the side of the room and sat down on a small cushion, most likely his own. Obi-wan took a deep breath and regarded the group again. The clan as it was called, consisted of a few different species, but they all shone brightly in the Force. But they were mostly untrained, their light honest and naïve, and unaccustomed to the conscious manipulation of the Force. They could feel the Force clearly, and have practised to listen to it with their saber practise, but actually wielding the Force was something quite new for them. For an instant Qui-gon's tale of him and Obi-wan in the crèche with the small wooden block flashed through his mind, but he put it aside. At that age children instinctively use the Force. The children before him however needed to learn the conscious use.

With some effort he ignored Yoda's gaze on his back as he walked up to the group. He took another moment to collect his thoughts and decide on his approach. It was clear he couldn't talk to them like he did to Anakin now, but it was the first real grown-up subject they had to learn. With a better glance at the children he could see they were a little tired from their saber practise, and an idea struck. He shrugged off his cloak and placed it behind him. He then smiled and looked at the group.

"I think your practise has tired you all a little. Why don't we take off those helmets and sit down, children?"

He could feel the relief and surprise in the kids and he smiled a little wider as he sat down on his cloak. All the children swiftly followed his example. When they settled down Obi-wan lowered his voice in timbre, to what he preferred to call his teaching voice.

"All of you have practised with your training sabers, feeling out the Force to anticipate where the training droid would strike. To be good at this you need to be open and silent, to hear everything the Force is telling you. But often a jedi will come across situations where listening to the Force will not be enough to accomplish his goal or mission. He or she will need to actively reach into the Force and steer it into an action of his choosing, thereby resolving the situation at hand."

Instantly he realized he had started all wrong, as blank faces met him. It wasn't that they couldn't understand his point, but they just couldn't understand all his words in the first place to do that. With a small sigh Obi-wan conceded his mistake. As he feared, this was completely different to teaching Anakin or the other padawans. These children did not have the vocabulary yet to understand his way of thinking. He refused to look back at Yoda for help, rather fearing the amused smile he knew the old master must be wearing at his elementary mistake.

On instinct he pulled back the memory of him and Qui-gon. It was the only thing he could think of that would be helpful. But how to use it? He looked around the room and spotted a small portable map-reader on one of the desks. He nodded to himself.

"I'm sorry, children. It has been a while since I've done any teaching. I'm sorry if I sounded…funny."

This brought back the smile they had lost and he was pleased to feel them focusing on him again. Now keep them focused on a simple thing and they'll follow Kenobi, he thought.

"Why don't we form a circle so we can all see each other better?"

He had to hand it to Yoda. The younglings quickly and without and hesitation shuffled around until they were all seated around him in a neat circle. Obi-wan turned to the young boy to his right.

"What's your name?"

The boy's eyes grew a little wider but he quickly responded. "Firso, master."

Obi-wan nodded and looked at the boy next to Firso. "And you?"

The surprise still lingered, but again the kid quickly responded. "Samu, master."

With a small gesture of his hand Obi-wan pointed at the girl next to Samu. "And you?"

"Janna, master."

With a smile Obi-wan gave his understanding and turned to the next child in line. But apparently his intentions had become quite clear.

"Hoanne-ji, master."

"Botthana, master."

"Giran, master."

And so one by one the children announced their names. Quickly Obi-wan memorized them. When the last one, directly to his left, finished, he nodded to the all. "Well my name is Obi-wan, Master Kenobi makes me feel old."

The silent giggling told him they were warming up to him, and were quite ready to listen to him with rapt attention when he showed the necessary authority. So, on to the next bit, he thought. He extended his right arm, over Firso's head, and pointed his fingers in the direction of the desk. The small map-reader lifted off its surface and slowly but steadily sailed through the air and into his awaiting hand. He placed the item in front of him and looked at the group. They had all watched his action with interest. Good, he thought, good.

"Let me tell you a story, children. A long time ago, when I was even younger than you are now, my old master came to visit me and the other children in the crèche. He always said we could make him feel better. He sat down, closed his eyes and meditated. This is what the jedi do to listen to the Force, we meditate. Now because I was so young and small, my master seemed like a mountain, a giant jedi. I crawled over to him and I could feel the Force flowing through us, around us, between us. It made me very happy indeed. When he finished his meditation I wanted to thank him for making me happy, so I gave one of my playing blocks to him. And do you know how I did that?"

All tiny shakes of heads told him they were quite interested at the answer.

"The Force helped me, and together we lifted the block into the air, so high that the giant jedi could grab it. Then he smiled at me, thanked me for this gift, and left."

With a smile Obi-wan crossed his arms and leaned back a little. "Several years later, when I was bigger and older, the same jedi became my master. Qui-gon, that was his name, always kept the block in his quarters, to remind him how wonderful the Force and life can be."

He gave the children a moment to process the story before going on. "Now I want you to open your feelings, just like in saber training. But this time, don't feel what the Force is telling you. This time, look at me and feel what I am doing."

He leaned forward and picked up the map-reader. By extending his arm and holding it with his palm open they could all see it clearly. Then he calmly and slowly dipped into the Force. He could tell they were all feeling their way, as tiny tendrils lightly twisted around him. Making sure he was drawing on the Force as clearly and slowly as he could he wrapped it around the map-reader, and lifted it two inches into the air. Keeping his palm open and in place Obi-wan slowly rotated the item, making it dance leisurely in front of him.

Next he tilted his palm and the map-reader slowly drifted to a girl on his left, Sianna. It hovered in front of her face for a moment, before slowly floating down. "Open your hands, Sianna."

She quickly did so, showing a happy surprise he remembered her name correctly. The map-reader gently set down on her hand and Obi-wan pulled away the Force, letting it flow back.

"Now, who wants to tell me what that felt like?"

Instantly everybody but one held up their hand to be heard. Sianna was still looking down at the map-reader in her hands with a silent wonder that endeared Obi-wan to no end. He waved his hand around to get all the hands down. "Why don't we ask Sianna how it felt?"

The little girl looked up, surprised again he remembered her name and a little startled at her sudden turn to speak to the rest of the class. Obi-wan gave her a soft, reassuring smile. "Tell me, Sianna, what did it feel like?"

Sianna blinked a few times, looking for a way to express herself. She opened her mouth twice without speaking, before finally getting something out.

"It was…blue."

This made Obi-wan blink in return. "Blue?"

A little more confident now she nodded. "Blue. And green. Oh, and silver. But only a little."

This certainly wasn't the answer he was expecting. Come to think of it, he didn't even get it at all.

"Okay…what about the rest of you? What did it feel like to you?"

Again hands shot up into the air. Obi-wan nodded to Hoanne-ji.

"Warm, master."

"Warm?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically. Still quite amazed by it Obi-wan pointed at the rest and one by one they gave him their answers. Some had felt the colour blue like Sianna, others thought it was warm, or funny, or just nice. With a grin Obi-wan wondered about their observations. Perhaps there is something to it for us elder jedi too, he thought.

"All right children, that's good. We know what it feels like when I do it. But what if one of you did it? Mmm? Who would want to try?"

The second he said it he knew he was going to be corrected, and surely enough he was.

"Master, there is no try, only do. Master Yoda always tells us so."

Suppressing a sigh Obi-wan laid his hand on Firso's shoulder. "Right you are, Firso, right you are." He lifted his left hand and retrieved the map-reader from Sianna, who looked a little sad to have it taken from her. "There is no try, only do or do not. Who wants to do it?"

Again hands raised into the air. Obi-wan Force lifted the object to them and asked them to return it. They diligently tried with varying results, and he found himself often helping them to get it fully into the air and back to him, but as time passed on everybody got more enthusiastic about it and without realizing an hour came and went. Obi-wan had just sent the map-reader back to a happy Sianna when a discrete cough behind him pulled him away from this quite enjoyable exercise with the children. With a quick look at his timepiece he figured the children were due for their lunch.

"All right children, that's enough for today. I'm very proud of all of you, and I think you all did very well with this exercise. Now I believe it's time for lunch, so off you go."

They all scrambled off the floor. Master Yoda had also left his cushion and was standing next to Obi-wan.

"Younglings, let us thank Master Obi-wan for his lesson. Good, it was."

"Thank you Master Obi-wan," the class happily repeated.

Obi-wan couldn't help but smile affectionately. "You are very welcome."

"Off to lunch, you go, time it is."

Happily chatting amongst each other the children left to the lunchroom. Obi-wan picked up his cloak and put it back on. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at Yoda.

"Now could you tell me why you had me give this lesson?"

Yoda chuckled. "Lesson needed given, and test you needed do."

His eyebrow rose in surprise without conscious effort. "Test? You mean…this was part of the trials?"

The old master nodded. "And well you did. Takes wisdom to teach a good lesson, and interest children. Very well, you did."

Obi-wan bowed deeply. "Thank you, my Master."

Yoda turned and headed for the door. "Now tea and lunch we will have. Your offer, still stands does it?"

All he could do was smile and fall into step with the enigmatic old master again. "Of course, Master."

"Good, good. With my tea, cookie I would like."

He let out a short laugh at that. "As would I, as would I."

- ∞ -


	9. Second trial

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Star Wars. They are the rightful property of one George Lucas, who fortunately decided to share them with the world through his films. I'm merely borrowing them in the most respectful way to have some more fun. That is all.  
AN; The in-betweens might be tediously long, but here I am again! I still haven't given up on all the idea I have yet to write, and one day I'll share them with you. Probably after I finish my Master thesis and such. But hey, patience is a vitue. Anyway, here is Obi-wan's second trial (see previous chapter for the idea behind it). Let me know what you think! Mistake are my own, seeing as no beta was present for this.

**Moments-serie**

Second trial

"Just remember how we did it last time children, slowly but surely."

With satisfaction and amusement Obi-wan watched as the children of the clan levitated and moved around various small objects. Two weeks after his first 'trial' Obi-wan found himself back with the group of children that had formed his test. It wasn't part of his regular duties, but to be honest it gave him that little boost of reassurance that what they did at the Temple mattered. He had left the pessimistic padawan behind years ago, but in these days such little tokens of goodness lifted his mood, even if just for a little while. And, in even greater honesty, it gave him the affirmation he was a decent teacher and master. The simple joy and awe in the children's eyes reassured him of his abilities. A jedi shouldn't doubt, but lately Obi-wan had been feeling…inadequate. Like the universe would continue to show his utmost would never be enough.

And to have Anakin question his decisions more and more did not give him warm, fuzzy feelings.

The coming storm in the form of the war was already affecting the general mood of the seniors at the Temple, and soon the shroud of conflict would dictate everything within its halls. So for the moment, Obi-wan decided to surround himself with as much innocence as he could.

"Good Sianna, very good."

Her smile was bright and infectious, and he found himself smiling along. However, some noise from beyond the room intruded on their relative peace, and his smile made way for a small frown as the children stopped their exercise because of the ripples in the Force that were emanating from the training hall next door. The ripples felt…angry. Without much conscious thought Obi-wan rose from the floor.

"Children, please stay here and continue with the exercise."

Seeing their curious faces his smile returned for a fraction. "Or just play amongst yourselves until I return."

With no further glance he strode to the door, sure the children would behave. They're Yoda's class, of course they'd behave. He walked through the door and headed to the entrance of the training hall off to his right. Scanning the Force he could identify two sources responsible for the disturbance. Just outside the entrance he checked the training schedule on a datapad on the wall, and was surprised to see an advance padawan saber class scheduled for this hour. Normally the older padawans would train vigorously, and from his own experience the classes were far too challenging and tiring to be causing such upheaval.

A press of the thumb on the pad opened the door and Obi-wan stepped inside the hall. Where he was surprised to see all the padawans standing in a semi circle around two of their own, who seemed to be in a rather heated argument. He could see that the group had not yet noticed his arrival, and he hung back to first see what this was about.

"That was not what this was about! Master Gassian told us to just practise!"

A female Twi'lek, hands on hips and eyes blazing, was staring down a male fellow padawan, one looking decidedly bored. Obi-wan noticed that his lightsaberwas held loosely in one hand.

"Master Gassian told us to train, so we did. I didn't hear Buari complain much when I suggested it."

"Yeah well he didn't ask you to singe his tunic, or break his nose for that matter!"

Following the wild gesture of the Twi'lek padawan Obi-wan suddenly spotted a padawan in the group holding his sleeve to his face, the fabric coloured with red stains. The boy looked both highly ashamed as well as angry about his predicament. But Obi-wan's attention was drawn again by the two arguing padawans.

"I told him we were going to have a real duel, and he agreed, so I don't see where this is my fault really."

Obi-wan now marked the padawan slight arrogant instead of bored. Evidently, the Twi'lek girl long realised the same, and took his words as a challenge.

"Well why don't you pick on someone your own size then huh?! Come on!"

The second her hand went to her lightsabre at her waist Obi-wan decided it was high time to put a stop to this. Reaching into the Force he projected his presence into the room, like tossing a stone into a still pond. At the very same moment he raised his voice.

"Attention! "

The effect was instant. All the padawans turned to face him and immediately dropped their arms to their sides, standing up straight and mouths closed. With his most stern face on Obi-wan slowly walked up to the group, hoping his air of authority would work the padawans into a more obedient state. He chose to ignore the two padawans locked in argument just seconds ago and halted in front of the boy with the injury. At his unspoken demand the boy lowered his sleeve and a bloody nose became visible. Now Obi-wan was no Healer, but he could see the bone was broken and needed medical attention.

"Go see the Healers."

The boy nodded and quickly left the hall. Obi-wan then turned and faced the two padawans responsible for the argument. By saying nothing for a full minute he tried to coax a response out of them, but nothing much happened. The girl still looked frustrated and upset, and the boy looked…well…almost smug. Obi-wan turned his eyes on the girl.

"Tell me what happened," he softly commanded.

"Yes, master. We were practising the fourth kata under Master Gassian, but he was called away on an emergency not long ago. He told us to continue with training since we still had an hour and a half to go. Right after Master Gassian left Sellec here stopped and said this training was pointless."

"I said the training was too simple, not pointless."

Obi-wan rewarded the interruption by Sellec with a silent and withering glare, making the boy blanch just slightly and close his mouth quickly. Then he looked back at the Twi'lek padawan and urged her on with his eyes.

"Sellec proposed to…spice thing up a bit, and he issued an open challenge, saying no one could beat his performance of the fourth kata. None of us responded to it, so he choose an opponent himself, Buari, master. At first he refused, but a comment by padawan Sellec convinced him to take up the challenge."

At this Obi-wan lightly pulled up his eyebrow in question. The girl blushed a soft purple.

"It wasn't a nice comment, master."

'_Not unexpected I suppose._' "Go on."

"They started the fourth kata, and for a moment it seemed like Buari had the upper hand, but then Sellec here," and with this she gave the boy a rather nasty look, "decided to deviate from the fourth kata and break his nose with the hilt of his sabre. He went down immediately, and there Sellec held the tip of his sabre to the collar of his tunic, lightly singing it, asking his surrender."

Sensing this was most of the tale he decided to cut in. "And you thought to point out his mistake by yelling loud enough to draw attention from the room 100 feet away?"

Again a purple blush rose on her cheeks. "I'm sorry, master."

With a soft hum Obi-wan accepted her apology. With an internal sigh however he contemplated how to deal with the situation. It was clear some discipline was needed, but to be fair all three parties needed it. Some more than others, but still. And he had a feeling a reprimand would fall on deaf ears with padawan Sellec. So he had to devise a different way of putting the boy in his place…

"What is your name?" he asked the Twilek.

"Soanne-ji, master."

Obi-wan nodded lightly. "Soanne-ji, you will serve a detention with me tonight for acting rashly, starting an argument and holding it with anger, and losing control of the argument by reaching for your weapon."

His tone was clipped and stern, and didn't miss its intended effect. Her face fell a little and her eyes displayed surprise at the turn of events, before she bowed her head a little. "Yes, master." Shame coloured her words.

Satisfied she got the message he turned to padawan Sellec. "The fourth kata hmm?"

The young man had enough sense to nod and address him properly. "Yes, master."

Again Obi-wan took a long moment to consider him, before speaking again.

"Very well, show me."

This apparently wasn't what the group had expected, because several confused faces looked at him, Soanne-ji most of all. Sellec merely looked surprised and a bit suspicious, but Obi-wan knew how to get his fears out of the way, if he was right about the boy.

"Anyone can perform the fourth kata, but I'm very interested to see how you managed to break padawan Buari's nose with the hilt, sounds like the type of move that Anakin would think of and use."

Stroking the boy's ego was something he would never do, and severely chastise if he would observe someone else do it, but now he needed to get to the root of the problem, not just its flower. And the way the padawan's face lit up by being compared to the Order's 'Chosen One', he knew he had chosen well under the circumstances.

- ∞ -

When he entered the room he saw Obi-wan unclip his lightsaber from his belt and face a padawan, who looked eager to show the master what he could do. He had heard fragments of what had happened from Buari, having come from the Healers himself just now. His curiosity piqued, Mace Windu had made his way to the training hall and see for himself what was going on, and perhaps deliver some discipline. But seeing Obi-wan here he decided to observe, and only step in if needed.

"Now take it step by step, show me what happened."

Obi-wan's voice was clear, and it betrayed no sign of any reprimand. Personally he would have reprimanded the padawan into the ground for a stunt like this, but he wanted to see what the young master's judgement would be here, so he waited.

The padawan facing Obi-wan ignited his saber, and took the stance for the fourth kata. Obi-wan mirrored the boy, and at a normal tempo the kata began, the padawan on the offensive. Each of his attacks was met by Obi-wan, but his style was completely different than Mace had witnessed on so many occasions. Mace frowned. Did Obi-wan just appear…clumsy?

Apparently the padawan had thought so too, and accelerated his attack, knocking aside Obi-wan's guard and managing to get the tip of his saber at Obi-wan's throat, thereby signalling the end of the kata. At this Mace's brow rose in surprise. Obi-wan, one of the best defensive swordsmen he had ever had the pleasure and honour of knowing defeated by a padawan?

Obi-wan smiled apologetically. "Very good. I believe you now, you perform the fourth kata very well."

The boy was unable to hide his glowing expression, and Mace felt the muscles in his leg twitch to move forward and put a stop to this. But once again Obi-wan surprised him.

"Now, I believe you deviated from the fourth kata, and asked Buari for a real duel. Is that true?"

The boy nodded. "Yes, master."

"Perhaps you'd care to present me with the same challenge?"

The padawan seemed to have no doubt or suspicion about it, and accepted immediately by stepping back and raising his saber in the stance out of the sixth kata. Obi-wan met his stance, but again, Mace could instantly see holes in his defence. He folded his arms over his chest and watched duel with growing scepticism.

And the duel didn't last long. The boy, confident over his earlier win, attacked Obi-wan with great speed, and forced the young master back, clearly making use of the faulty defence Obi-wan was using. In just under a minute the duel was over, Obi-wan once again threatened at sword point. He saw Obi-wan bow a little to concede his defeat.

"Well done, padawan Sellec. Truly remarkable."

Mace's skin was crawling at the gloating expression on the padawan's face, and again was about to step in when Obi-wan's voice held him back once more.

"Now class, why did padawan Sellec here win?"

The rest of the padawans hesitated a little, before one of them lifted his hand to answer.

"Because he was faster?"

Obi-wan nodded. "Mm mm, indeed. What else?"

"He managed to get past your defences, master."

Again, Obi-wan nodded. "Excellent point, so he did." He turned back to padawan Sellec. "And you, why do you think you won?"

The arrogance in his answer made Mace almost physically shiver. "Because I was stronger."

Obi-wan smiled lightly. "Ah yes, thought that might be your answer." He turned his head slowly around, looking at the other students. "And I suppose you're right, how else could you have won the duel? For the strong always win."

When Obi-wan's eyes met his own, Mace was surprised to find that the man already knew he was present, and even more surprised to see a gleam in his eyes. One that told him this was far from over. So he decided, for a third time, to stand back and let Obi-wan handle it. Anakin's master, one known for many incredible feats of arms, then turned and looked Sellec squarely in the eye.

"2 out of three then? Just to show everyone how good you are."

The boy needed just as much convincing as the last time, and immediately took up a stance. Obi-wan however casually stood, saber hanging loosely at his side. And instantly Mace recognized the jedi that had defended his back at Geonosis, the one he knew to be one of the best swordsmen in the jedi Order. And when padawan Sellec attacked, Mace knew the boy would learn that very quickly as well. Obi-wan simply stepped aside, the boy's attacks swiping at nothing but air. Sellec swung three, four times, before his right hand was suddenly caught, twisted, and he found himself lying on the floor mats, Obi-wan's saber not even part of the duel yet. Again, Obi-wan's voice was clear, but the tone was stern and berating.

"You overstepped and project your intentions with each swing. Get up, and do it again."

The flush in the boy's face was obvious, but he did get up and pointed his sword at Obi-wan again. He attacked again, and this time found himself falling flat on his face after only two swings, his lightsaber skidding across the mat and out of his reach.

"Being stronger has no relevance to any duel if you're not right, experienced, and alert. Assumptions will cloud your judgement and you will lose."

Obi-wan bent down and helped Sellec back to his feet.

"I understand you might feel training is boring, and you're ready for something else, but the truth is you cannot yet decide if you are ready."

He placed a hand on Sellec's shoulder. "Truth is there is always someone better than you. Truth is that a pure duel such as this is rare and you're more likely to encounter fights that are unbalanced, unfair and far more deadly than this one."

Obi-wan paused for a moment before going on. "You do not train and duel here to prove who is the best. If so, Master Yoda would be wearing a medal."

This brought a small smile to everyone's face.

"You train and duel to prepare yourself for your role as jedi. A jedi will protect the weak, not use them to show he is better."

The comment was directed at Sellec, and the boy was intelligent enough to hear it and feel shame over it. His posture slumped a little, Mace noted with satisfaction.

"Repetition is key. Make the movements your own. And if your must duel, do so to prove to yourself that you are ready to begin your duty as a jedi, not to show everybody else you're a better jedi than they are. For not all a jedi's abilities, skills, and worth lie with his sword."

Mace had to admit, Obi-wan had the entire group bowing their heads a little in shame. Sellec was looking at his feet the whole time, but he knew the boy was mortified to be shown this lesson. Good, humility is a truly rare thing these days, Mace thought.

"Now, I want you to start working on the fifth kata, _in pairs._ Help each other improve, learn from each other. Sellec? If I hear you boasting ever again, I will not be as lenient as I was today. You will serve two weeks of extra duty with the Healers, a place where your sword skills are absolutely irrelevant."

His words still had a bite to them, and Sellec nodded dutifully.

"Begin!"

The padawans jumped at Obi-wan's command, and formed pairs instantly. Without a single word they began training the kata Obi-wan had instructed them to perform.

With a gesture of his hand Obi-wan beckoned Soanne-ji to him. "Follow me, please." The girl quickly came up, and together they walked up to Mace. He greeted Obi-wan with a respectful nod, one the young master returned with a small bow.

"Master Windu, it is good to see you."

"Master Obi-wan, I see you have things well under control."

"I merely intervened, they were disturbing the children in the other room."

Mace nodded. Leave it to him to brush it off like he had absolutely no hand in it at all, Mace thought.

"It is fortunate you are here, Master Windu. Do you think there is some work available for padawan Soanne-ji here in the Diplomatic Circle this evening?" Obi-wan asked.

Mace gave them a small, but genuine, smile. "I'm sure Master Laranz will find something for her to do."

Obi-wan nodded. "Very well then. I will take my leave now, I have the children waiting for me. Perhaps you could watch over the training for a moment, just till master Gassian comes back? Only if you have the time, of course."

Now it was Mace's turn to nod. "I have some time, and will be glad to assist you."

"Oh no, not me," Obi-wan replied, "Master Gassian."

Windu's smile grew a little. "Of course."

With a last nod Obi-wan headed out the door. Mace directed Soanne-ji back to the training, making a mental note to warn the Diplomatic Circle to set aside some work for her. Just 10 minutes later master Gassian returned, and was surprised to see him.

"Master Windu, what a surprise. Have you come to see us train?"

Mace patted Gassian once on the shoulder. "Not exactly." And then left the master to his training.

- ∞ -

As usual, he didn't have to press the pad next to the door to announce his presence. The door slid open, and the old master was looking up at him.

"Speak to me, you want, mm?"

With a short bow Mace came straight to business. "The second trial we had planned for Obi-wan tomorrow."

Yoda's ears twisted a little, showing his curiosity. "What of it?"

Mace smiled. "Necessary, I do not think it is anymore."

That earned him a soft huff from Yoda, undoubtedly over his imitation. "Elaborate, you will."

He entered the room and took his normal place on one of the cushions, drawing his legs up without conscious thought. Accepting the tea Yoda offered he started explaining what he had seen. After all had been said, Yoda closed his eyes for a moment before smiling and looking him straight in the eye.

"Agree, I do. Accept this as his second trial, we shall. And pass, he did."

- ∞ -


End file.
